All the signs of summer are in the share this week. One has been the return of the salsa pack to the share list (at least as a choice). Check out last year’s blog for the definitive recipe for fresh salsa and roasted salsa. As the tomatillos start coming in we plan to have more available.

Other recipes that are filled with recent share items includes:
Green Bean, Potato and Onion Hash
Asian Green Beans
Garlicky Bread and Tomato Gratin
Carrot Ginger Salad

While not a share item, we farmers have been accumulating a small batch of green tomatoes this week. As we tie up the tomatoes, weed, hoe, and harvest, the occasional fruit falls to the ground. These greenies won’t ripen but are still very edible. So tonight I fried some up to pair with a batch of fresh salsa. The ones we didn’t use will be in the swap box.

Fried Green Tomatoes (or Summer Squash) with Salsa
Though we didn’t try it, summer squash and zucchini should substitute nicely for green tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 medium tomatoes
1 egg
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp summer savory
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Method:
Slice green tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick. Dip in egg and then dredge in corn meal/flour mix. Deep fry in skillet until brown a few minutes on each side in oil. Drain on paper towels. Top with fresh or roasted salsa.

Pickling packs are now available in limited quantities. All pickle packs include 4 quarts of cucumbers and your choice of aromatics,

When placing your order, be sure to specify what types of aromatics you want. Choices are:
cornichon (tarragon, thyme, garlic, onion, hot peppers, grape leaves)
dill (dill flowers, onion, hot peppers, grape leaves)
garlic (garlic, hot peppers, grape leaves)

Pickle pack (small cukes): $17/pack
Pickle pack (medium cukes): $13/pack
Pickle pack (large cukes): $11/pack

Take Advantage
Once again this week we recommend that those of you who pickle, or want to start, take advantage of the wonderful pickling cucumbers we have for sale. You can’t get these beauties just anywhere, or just anytime. They are peaking right now, and today (Tuesday) we picked over 70 lbs. The harvest won’t last forever, so get your salt, vinegar, spices and canner ready.

While pickles packs of the tiny cornichon size cukes are limited, plenty of medium and large cucumbers are available this week.

Grilled Pasta Primavera
Our meals are often predicated on Rebecca’s yearnings. This last week we searched for the perfect pasta primavera to satiate her. Her notion of crispy but not soggy summer squash as a main ingredient led us to grilling the vegetables as a first step.

On July 4th we did just that at a friend’s house and the dish was delicious. A rainy day on Monday had us trying out our Chambers stove broiler as a grill substitute. It worked great.

You can grill whatever vegetables you want for this dish. We even used kohlrabi. After chopping up the grilled veggies you can either saute them in a pan with some tomatoes and garlic, or simply add them to your pasta

Ingredients:
Approximately 1 cookie sheet full of sliced vegetables, such as summer squash, onions, peppers (sweet and hot), garlic, kohlrabi, eggplant…
1 lb pasta of choice, cooked
Parmesan cheese and basil for garnish

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp herb mixture of choice such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, summer savory, herbs de Provence. We used the Middle Eastern herb mix called Zahatar.

Method:
– Cut the vegetables in a suitable size and shape for grilling. Mix with the marinade for at least 10 minutes.
– Cook the pasta according to directions on package
– Grill the vegetables
– Let vegetables cool to touch and then chop them
– Toss all ingredients together
– Top with grated cheese and chopped basil

Pickling packs are now available in limited quantities. All pickle packs include 4 quarts (about 6 pounds) of cucumbers and your choice of aromatics. When placing your order, be sure to specify what types of aromatics you want. Choices are:
cornichon (tarragon, thyme, garlic, onion, hot peppers, grape leaves)
dill (dill flowers, onion, hot peppers, grape leaves)
garlic (garlic, hot peppers, grape leaves)

Pickling pack (small cukes) $17.00
Pickling pack (medium cukes) $13.00
Pickling pack (large cukes) $11.00

Greens, garlic, onions, squash, cukes…all veggies that you are no doubt familiar with and possibly craving. We have been enjoying them all, both cooked and raw. We understand too that last week’s recipe for pasta salad was enjoyed and appreciated. Other excellent recipes for this week and last week’s share include:

Zucchini and summer squash casserole (June 27, 2007 newsletter)
Summer squash fritatta (July 11, 2007newsletter)
Stuffed zucchini (June 30, 2009 blog)
Wilted cabbage salad (June 8, 2005 newsletter)
Onion marmalade (July 8, 2008 blog)

Let the Pickling Begin
This years pickling cucumber crop appears to be one of the best yet. We have over 175 feet of cucumbers growing as we speak. These are the perfect cucumbers for making pickles; crisp and crunchy with a nice flavor.

We pick them twice a week to keep them from getting too big, and to provide us with a variety of sizes. They include:

Small–what people know as gherkin or cornichon size. They are smaller than your pinkie.
Medium–around 3 to 4 inch cukes that can fit into a wide-mouth canning jar.
Large–great for making pickle chunks, spears, or large refrigerator pickles.

Emily Akins and I will be teaching a class on pickling at the Bad Seed on July 18. We will demonstrate and or discuss numerous types of pickles including, fermented dill pickles, spicy and sour cornichons, sweet and crunchy lime pickles, and aromatic garlic pickles.

The University of Missouri Extension is also running their regular series of classes. Their classes are as follows:

Platte County Resource Center, KCMO 6 to 8 pm, July 12
Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty, 6 to 8 pm, July 15
St. Pauls United Methodist Church, Independence, MO 6 – 8 pm August 3
Email Glenda Kinder at kinderg@missouri.edu, or call 816-407-3490.

As the heat continues, we decided this week to make a cool dish for the recipe, a pasta salad. Nothing more than a mix of cold pasta, fresh vegetables and Italian dressing, it is perfect for lunch or dinner. In this version all of the vegetables are raw and add a nice crunchiness.

We used what we had on hand, and what is available in the shares. You can add just about anything you want. Even your Asian greens will taste Italian when tossed into this dish. If you follow the proportions in the recipe you will have enough food for several meals.

You can use whatever type pasta you want. We used orchiette (aka little ears), similar to shell macaroni. The dressing was made from scratch, but you can subsitute your favorite store-bought dressing to save time.

Fresh Pasta Salad ala Fair Share Farm
Ingredients:
1 medium summer squash, seeded and chopped
2 komastuna leaves chopped (stems included)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic scapes, chopped
1 cup chopped broccoli
8 to 12 sugar snap peas, stem end removed, chopped
2 to 3 tbsp chopped basil, summer savory or parsley
1 lb cooked and cooled pasta

dressing:
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried summer savory

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix.

Hakurei turnips $3.00/bunch
Fresh herbs (sage, oregano, dill, apple mint, lavendar flowers) $3.00/bunch
Dried herbs $2.50/tin

It’s week 6 of the CSA already, and things are slowly changing toward summer type shares. We still have some wonderful Asian greens (keep that wok on the stove), prime Hakurei turnips and the last of the strawberries making it feel like Spring. Some of the delights of Summer are creeping in, with the first of the carrots and onions bulking up the share.

A few notes on these items. The tall, celery size Asian green you may find in the share this week and next is Komatsuna. Treat it as you would bok choi, enjoying the crunchiness of the stem and tenderness of the leaves.

All of you might not be familiar with the herb choices either. Fennel is the ferny herb that looks like dill, but with a slight licorice taste. We use it a lot when making creamy yogurt salad dressings. Tarragon (thin, narrow leaves) has a similar flavor to fennel and is often used to flavor vinegars or for the classic tarragon chicken. Summer savory is similar to thyme in flavor, with a sweet and savory aroma. Use it with meat or vegetables.

Summer savory

Since farming has kept us extra busy this week, there is no from the farm recipe. But… my teaching colleague Emily Akins has written an epic blog on strawberries called Strawberry Weekend. From picking berries at the farm, to teaching a jams and jellies class at the Bad Seed, to preparing strawberry dumplings, it is a flavorful read.

Finally, our heartfelt thanks go out again to Keith Stubblefield who took up his Friday night to help put Grandpa (the tractor) back together. He is officially running again as millions of blades of grass have found out over the last 3 days. Once this rain stops and the beds dry out our next step is to catch up on our tilling and get the remaining summer crops in the ground, followed by our fall plantings.

Keith adjusting the valves

All sorts of vegetables are maturing now, some in large enough quantities to give to everyone, and others in amounts that require choice. We have been enjoying the Romaine lettuce and endive. Rebecca has become a Caesar salad expert, getting one together in no time flat.

Tonight we searched the web for a wilted frisee (aka endive) recipe. Sauteed Lemon Maple Frisee from epicurious.com is what we chose. It was excellent. Very little bitterness remained in the endive after the cooking and addition of lemon juice and maple syrup. Dried cranberries or other dried fruit would have been a great addition to this dish. A nice way to try out endive during one of the few times a year you will get it.

One other addition to this week’s share choices are several new dried herbs. Too big to fit into tins, these herbs are served up in small bags. We have bay leaf and hot peppers, along with mint in a more “tea size” serving.

Along with the cooking and farming, we have been working to get “Grandpa” tractoring again. We now have a new radiator (thanks Avondale Tractor) installed on his front. Next step is to reattach the head of the engine with its new valves courtesy of Liberty Auto Machine. The only thing missing is a head gasket. Our initial search proved futile. Since then we have found two possible sources, and have bought from both to make sure we satisfy Grandpa’s specific needs.

The Asian greens are all coming in at once, and are prime for harvest. Bok choi and tat soi are great additions to dishes you can preserve, like kim chee.

Bok Choi or tat soi: Large head or bunch: $3.00/head
Strawberries (ther are a few quarts available this week): $5/qt
Fresh herbs (sage, oregano, lavendar flowers, fennel): $3.00/bunch
Dried herbs: $2.50/tin